The King County Bar Association just released its annual judicial ratings. The ratings are based on a survey of King County attorneys, who rank local and district court judges on their performance over the past year in five categories---legal decision-making; demeanor, temperament, and communication; administrative skills; and integrity and impartiality. The attorneys rated each judge on a scale of 1 to 5 and the ratings were averaged by the bar association.

Although most of the judges on the King County District Court scored well overall (only Judge Judith Eiler scored, on average, below a 3---2.8, between "poor" and "acceptable"---most Muni Court judges fared more poorly. Of 13 municipal court judges, only one, Jean Rietschel, received an average ranking above a 4, with an average of 4.5, between "good" and "outstanding." Judge Edsonya Charles received the lowest ranking overall, with an average score of 2.7.

Charles headed up a recent effort to lobby the city council not to cut a position on the court. City budget staffers argued that Charles had overstated the municipal judges' workload, and the council ultimately approved the cut.

Read the full list of rankings here.